Hidden in Plain Sight
by HawkAngel13
Summary: When Ian visits Boston, Amy finds out that some of her friends aren't as normal as she thought. Officially discontinued until further notice!
1. Chapter 1

**Back to visit old friends**

As of today, it's been three months. Three months since the Clue Hunt. _Two_ months ago, Dan and I were attacked by Vespers. Now that Gideon's ring is safe, everything is . . . . _calm_. We thought that everything would spin out of control, like it did with the Clue Hunt. Suprisingly, it's done the opposite. Dan and I have gone back to school, Nellie's back, Fiske's okay, and school is going great! I looked down at my watch, where Gideon's ring had rested around since the Vesper attack. 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, mid-October. I changed out of my pajama's, and into a white t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and grabbed my dark green jacket. I shoved my jacket into my white and jade green messenger bag, and double-checked to make sure that all of my books were in it. I took out my binder, and made sure that my homework was complete, all correctly answered, and all accounted for. Everything was perfect and there.

"IM received," my computer's monotone voice said. I looked at the screen, sat down, and clicked the 'Open' button. It was from Fifi!

'Hey Ames, are you still gonna' meet me at the pet shop at 6:45?' I forgot!

I typed back quickly, 'Yeah! On my way!' I turned off my computer, grabbed my bag, and ran out of my room.

I ran down the stairs, and into the kitchen. I glanced down at my watch, 6:27. I saw that Nellie had just finished making waffles.

"Good mornin', kiddo! What's the rush?" she asked.

"I've gotta' meet Fifi at the pet shop at 6:45!"

"Hmm. Well, here, eat these real quick before you go," Nellie said, handing me a plate of waffles cut into strips. I poured blueberry syrup onto my plate, and dipped my waffles strips into it. I wolfed all of them down, and jogged over to the bathroom. It had my spare toothbrush in it. I squeezed a little bit of winter mint toothpaste onto my toothbrush, and scrubbed my teeth clean. Once I was finished, I rinsed my mouth with water, cleaned off my toothbrush, yelled a goodbye, pulled on my sneakers, and ran out the front door.

I got to the small pet shop just seconds before 6:45. Fifi's grandmother owned the pet shop. I knocked on the glass door, knowing that it didn't open until 8 o'clock. Fifi came to the door, and opened it. She had pulled her blonde hair back into a braid, and her dark brown eyes gleamed with relief. She wore an apron, that had bird poop splattered on it.

"Thanks so much for coming, Amy. These new parakeet's are driving me crazy!" I smiled, "Anytime, Fifi." I walked into the pet shop, and saw that the parakeet's had gotten loose. Fifi's grandmother, Rosalie, was carrying a light blue parakeet back to it's cage.

"Oh, good morning, Amelia! So nice of you to come and help Fiona," she said.

"It's my pleasure, Rosalie," I said politely.

"I can take care of the parakeets, Fiona. You and Amelia go take care of the kittens. They need to be fed, and make sure the runt is okay," Rosalie said, grabbing ahold of another parakeet.

"Yes, Grandma," Fifi said.

Fifi and I went to the front of the store, where the kittens glass cage was displayed in the window. There were four kittens. We had already named them, since they'd been in the pet shop for a while now. Jack, he was a dark brown male, with white ears, a white underbelly, and green eyes. Genie, she was a silver female, with white patches and yellow eyes. Caramel, a golden colored female with black paws and green eyes. Last, and smallest, Piwi, a silver male with black patches and blue eyes.

Fifi picked up Piwi, "Here, check Piwi over, i'll fill the bowls," she said, handing him to me. I looked Piwi over, checked his pulse, opened his mouth, all that good stuff.

"He's fine, Fifi! I really think he's gonna' make it," I said, hopeful. I smiled at Piwi while Fifi filled the food bowls.

"You hear that, Piwi? You're gonna' make it! You'll be all big and strong soon," I said to the small kitten. I put Piwi back in the cage with his siblings.

Fifi and I finished taking care of the kittens, and Fifi took off her apron. She was wearing a purple sweater, blue jeans, and black cowgirl boots. She grabbed her backpack.

"Alright Grandma, I'm gonna' get goin'! I'll see ya' after school," Fifi said as we walked out the door.

"Bye, sweetie!" her grandmother called after us. We walked down the sidewalk, talking.

"So, three months, huh?" Fifi asked. Fifi was one of my closest friends. She didn't know about the Cahills and such, but she knew that I had had a crazy time visiting with people from a "Special group" that I was included in. I told her about Ian, too. That was what she was really referring to.

"Yeah. I know. Crazy, right?" I asked.

"No. What's _really_ crazy, is that I saw him on the news this morning," Fifi said.

"_What?_ You're joking, right? _Our _news?" I asked.

"Yeah! Here, I'll pull it up on my phone!" she said. She took her purple iPhone out of her pocket, and pulled up this morning's news on the internet browser.

"Here. Oh, and before I play this, I just wanna' say something," Fifi said.

"What?" I said impatiently.

"He is _so cute!_ I'm sorry, I know you hate him, but he's such a beautiful person!" she said dreamily.

"Wh-whatever!" I stuttered angrily. I took her phone, and pressed the play button.

"I'm here with Natalie Kabra to discuss her new line of shoes. Tell me, Miss. Kabra, what type of shoes are featured?" a blonde reporter woman asked.

"Well, I've decided that not everyone wants to wear heels all the time, I know I don't, and I've made a line of sneakers that are fashionable, yet comfortable," Natalie purred. "Sneakers? May I see a pair?" the reporter asked.

"Of course. Here is a pair of my newest design," Natalie said, holding up a pair of black sneakers with pink laces, and pick rubber on the bottom, and the toe. On the back of the shoe, and hot pick bow was stitched on, with 'NK' embroidered on it.

"Oh my! Those are cute, Miss. Kabra!" the reporter said.

"Thank you, ma'am," Natalie said smugly.

"And now we move on to Natalie's brother, Ian. To discuss his successful art business," the reporter said dreamily.

"Hello," Ian smirked, his accent dazzling the reporter.

"So, what brought _you_ here, Ian?" the reporter asked.

"Well, I only came because Natalie came. She may have her own business, but we are close siblings. Plus, I hadn't visited Boston in some time, so I figured it would be a good excuse. So here I am, hoping to visit a few shops, and visit a few . . . . . old friends," Ian looked straight at the camera, as if he was talking to me.

"In the middle of the school year?" the reporter asked.

"I am home-schooled, ma'am. So that tends to give me a more flexible schedule," Ian said with a smug, matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, yes, of course. Sorry," the reporter said, "Well, thank you. Back to you, Ben." Fifi took her phone back, and turned off the video.

"Great! Just p-perfect! I c-can't b-believe that j-just when I th-think everything's fine, s-s-something has t-to go wr-wrong! If s-something h-had to g-go wr-wrong, why d-did it h-have to b-be I-Ian?" I stuttered angrily.

"Ames. You're stuttering. Don't worry about Ian, just go about your day normally. Evan Tolliver was talking about you at lunch yesterday!" Fifi said.

"R-really?" I asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah! He said that you should wear a headband more often. He said that it allows him to see your pretty eyes more," Fifi said.

"Oh my gosh! I thought he didn't notice me at all!" I said.

"Oh, he notices you, that's for sure," Fifi said. It was then, that we noticed we had reached our school. "Well, I'll see you in science, Fifi," I said as we walked in the front door. "See ya' Amy!" Fifi said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Being ignored. . . **

At lunch, a lot of the girls chattered on and on about either Natalie's shoe designs, or Ian. It got irritating. Even Fifi was obsessed with them!

"He's so adorable. . . . " Fifi said, dreamily looking at her phone's new screensaver. A great, big close-up of Ian's face!

"Yeah," a few other girls answered, with the same adoring expression on their faces.

"Hey! Amy!" I heard someone call my name. I turned around in my seat to see Evan Tolliver waving. I felt my face get hotter and hotter. I waved back hesitantly. He motioned for me to come over to where he was sitting.

"Oooh! Go on, girly!" Fifi said, excitedly.

"Wh-what? I c-can't g-go over th-there! Wh-what if I t-trip on the w-way? Or _w-worse_? Wh-what if I b-burp in his f-f-face? I _d-did_ have that b-big s-soda. . . " I said.

"Oh geez. Come on, Ames! You can do this! If you feel like your going to trip, then stop for a moment. If you feel like you're going to burp, close your mouth! Now, go talk to Tolliver!" Fifi said encouragingly!

"Ok-kay. . . " I said warily. I stood up, put my empty tray on the metal counter with all the other dirty trays, and walked over to where Evan was sitting.

"Guys, make some room!" Evan said. Eventually, a few scooted down a few seats, and there was enough room for me to sit on the end seat, next to Evan.

"So, what's up?" Evan eyes. I thought for a moment.

"Th-the s-sparrow nesting in th-the c-cafet-teria c-ceiling," I said, trying to sound witty, but epically failing.

Evan laughed anyways, "No kidding! That's funny, Ames." I felt my cheeks get warmer, and I smiled down at the floor.

"So, did you see that guy on the news this morning?" Evan asked. I hesitated.

"Y-you mean th-the n-new t-traffic g-guy?" I asked, hoping that's who Evan was referring to. "No, not that guy. The guy with the british accent!" Evan said.

"O-oh. Y-yeah. Wh-why do y-you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you were obsessed with him like a bunch of the girls at our school," Evan said.

"M-me? N-no w-w-way!" I said.

"Ok, cool," he said.

Evan got quiet, sweeping his blue eyes over the cafeteria.

"A-are y-you looking for s-s-someone?" I asked curiously.

"No," Evan said quickly.

"O-oh," I said quietly. We didn't talk for a few moments, so Evan started to chat about tech class with his friends. In my pocket, my phone vibrated. I pulled it out, and looked at the screen. I had gotten a text from an unknown number. I opened it anyways.

It read: 'Hello, love. I'd like to meet up with you sometime while I'm in Boston. Please contact me to let me know when and where we could get together. ~I.K.'

My stomach starting churning. How did he get my number? Why did he want to talk to me? What was I supposed to do? Whe-

"Who ya' textin'?" Evan asked, snapping me out of my shock. I closed the message before he could see it.

"N-no one!" I responded a little too quickly. I could tell, because Evan had a questioning look on his face, and kept staring at me.

"I-it's no one. J-just an unknown n-number," I said calmly.

"Oh. Alright," Evan said warily, then continued chattering about tech class while his buddies laughed.

*Time Lapse*

"So, what's wrong?" Dan asked.

"Huh?" I said.

"Ames, you haven't asked if I got in trouble today. Something's up," Dan said. Sometimes I hated how well he knew me.

"_Did_ you get in trouble today?" I asked.

"No!" Dan said, offended.

"Sorry. Just asking. . . " I mumbled.

"But seriously, did something happen? You look like you're worried about something," Dan said.

"No. Nothing happened! I'm fine," I snapped.

"Fine! Sheesh," Dan said.

"We're home!" Dan yelled as we walked in the front door of our mansion.

"Hey, kiddos!" Nellie turned in her seat in the living room to look at us.

"How was school?" she asked, looking at Dan warily.

"I didn't do anything wrong! Sheesh, you're worse than Amy!" Dan yelled.

"School was fine," I said hesitantly. I took my shoes off by the front door, and walked upstairs to my room. I set my backpack down on my bed, took out my homework binder, and sat at my desk. I opened up my binder to reveal the loads of homework my teachers had given me that day. I sighed, and turned on my computer to find some music to listen to. I browsed through my music, and failed to find anything that I truely wanted to listen to at the moment. So, I did my homework in silence. With only the sound of my pencil scribbling across my paper to accompany me.

Once I had finished my homework, I went down the hall to the library. I picked up my copy of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan off the coffee table. I sat down on the couch, and was about to open my book, when my phone vibrated. I took it out, and looked at the screen. Text message from an unknown number. I decided to ignore it, and read my book. I read The Lightning Thief cover to cover by the time Nellie called me down for dinner. As I walked down the stairs, my phone vibrated again. I checked it again, and once again, it was another text from an unknown number.

_'Forget it, Ian! I'm not going to answer,'_ I thought. I walked into the kitchen, and Nellie looked at me curiously.

"What?" I asked.

"Dan said that you were acting wierd earlier," Nellie said.

"Is there something you wanna' talk about?"

I shook my head, "No."

She looked at me, unconvinced, "Did something happen? Maybe something about a guy named Evan Tolliver?"

I decided to use that as my excuse, "Well, he asked me to sit with him at lunch today. . ." "Coolio," Nellie said, dropping the subject. We sat down at the table, and began to eat, when I realized that Fiske wasn't there.

"Where's Uncle Fiske?" I asked. I had been so distracted by Ian's texts, I hadn't noticed he was gone.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize he was gone!" Nellie laughed. I felt kinda' bad about that.

"He's at some Madrigal stronghold nearby. He said nothin's wrong, but that he had to meet with somebody," Nellie said.

"Oh, alright," I said, warily.

I had gone back up to the library after dinner, and began reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I got through a few chapters, when my phone vibrated again. I decided to silence it completely, and see how many texts I had gotten in the morning. I read for several hours, and eventually, I fell asleep. I dreamt that I was a silvertongue. That I had the ability to read people and items out of books.

I was about to pull Percy Jackson out of his book series, when I heard Nellie yell, "I found her!"

I woke up quickly, and saw Nellie standing with her hands on her hips, by the library entrance. I yawned, and sat up.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" Nellie asked angrily.

"N-no," I responded.  
>"Sorry. . . " I stood up, walked out of the library, and into my room. Once I had gotten my school stuff together, and had gotten ready, I walked downstairs. I walked into the kitchen, where Nellie had made me a big plate of. . . . . . well, it was food. I was <em>pretty<em> sure it was food. I ate it though, because Nellie was standing over me, seeing my reaction to her cooking.

"So, how is it?" she asked.

"It's . . . . okay. I guess, I mean, what is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"That doesn't matter, you need to get going," Nellie said.

In Nellie-nese, that meant, "Don't ask, 'cuz you don't wanna' know!" Dan and I brushed our teeth, and left the house.

Dan decided he wanted to ride his bike, so I rode mine too. It had been a while since I'd ridden my bike to school. Dan and I went our seperate ways to get to our schools, and I saw Fifi on the way.

"Hey, Amy!" she called from across the street.

"Oh, hi, Fifi," I said, slowing down as she crossed the street.

"So, did you happen to get any texts last night? Like, from an _unknown number_?" Fifi asked, smiling slyly.

"N-no, why?" I lied.

"No? Oh, I see how it is. You don't wanna' tell me. That's okay," Fifi giggled, as if she knew something I didn't.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about, Fifi," I said.

"Sure you don't, Ames, sure you don't," Fifi said sarcastically. We had reached the school by then, so I walked off to chain up my bike.

"So, you rode your bike today too?" I heard someone say. I turned to see Evan standing by a dark blue and black bike.

"Oh, h-hi. Y-yeah," I stuttered.

"So, I've got an equation for you. It's really interesting, I figured it out last night. You ready?" Evan asked. I nodded.

"Okay, so Evan plus texts plus Amy equals totally ignored. What do you think?" he asked. "Wh-what? I-I'm n-not f-f-following," I said, thoroughly confused.

"I texted you three times last night!" Evan said, irritated. I pulled out my phone, and read the three texts I had gotten last night.

The first one read: 'Hey, Amy! It's Evan, what's up?'

The next one read: 'Hey, Amy, are you there?'

I felt bad enough by then, and then the last text read: 'Ok then. Goodnight I guess.'

I looked up at Evan, "I-I'm r-r-really s-sorry."

He sighed, "S'okay. Come on, we're gonna' be late."

The rest of that day was pretty boring. Fifi and I sat with Evan and his friends at lunch. Fifi talked about dog breeds with some guy named Brian, and I talked with Evan about his tech class. When Dan and I met up at the coffee shop, my phone vibrated. Before I could look at it, Dan took it from my hand.

"W-wait! I-I think i-it's Evan!" I said.

"It is not! It's from an unknown number," Dan said.

He clicked the open button, and read it aloud: 'Hello, love. I know you probably think that this is a trap, but I really hate being ignored. You could at least contact me, telling me you don't want to meet with me! ~I.K.' Dan looked up at me, baffled.

"Hello, _love_? _I.K.?_" Dan yelled. Everyone in the coffee shop turned to look at me.

I felt extremely uncomfortable, "D-Dan. E-everyone's s-staring!"

"Nellie! Uncle Fiske!" Dan yelled as we walked in the front door.

"What?" Nellie yelled back.

"What's wrong, children?" Uncle Fiske asked calmly.

"Amy's getting text messages from _Ian Kabra!_" Dan yelled.

"_What?_" Nellie yelled, walked out of the kitchen, and stared at me like I was crazy.

Uncle Fiske turned to look at me, from the living room couch. "Amelia, why did you not tell me?"

"I-I wasn't going t-to answer. I-I thought i-it w-was a t-t-trap," I stuttered frantically.

"It isn't. I know why he is contacting you. I was going to tell you later, at dinner. But now, you can just text back Mr. Kabra. He'll explain," Uncle Fiske said bluntly.

"Fiske, what's going on?" Nellie asked.

"I'll let Amelia explain," Uncle Fiske turned his attention back to me. "So you better talk to him soon."


	3. Chapter 3

**Talking to a cobra. **

"Hello?" Ian's voice came through the phone, and made my stomache churn.

"I-Ian?" I asked, stuttering.

"Oh, hello, love. How are you?" Ian asked casually.

"F-f-fine. A-and y-y-you?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Ian said.

"S-so, my U-Uncle Fiske s-said y-y-you had s-something i-important t-to tell m-me?" I asked awkwardly.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Well, you see, love, there was a branch leader meeting the other night, and Fiske was there as well as everyone else. They believe that there are a few talented, teenage agents, and that they should have special training. All the branch leaders agreed," Ian explained.

"O-okay?" I said, curiousas to where Ian was going with that.

"Well, they have also agreed that there should be a challenge, to choose which agents will receive this training," Ian said.

I gulped, "A-another ch-challenge?"

"I'm afraid so, love. I'm aware that this may not be the most exciting thing for you to hear, but I do believe you should enter this challenge. You are talented, more talented than most other Cahills, I believe, and that you deserve special training," Ian said.

I felt my face get warmer, and noticed I was blushing.

"Y-you sh-should enter the ch-ch-challenge t-too. Y-you're a l-lot m-more t-t-talented than a lot of o-other C-Cahills," I said.

He chuckled, "Thank you, love. Actually, I _do_ plan on entering the challenge. After all, it wouldn't look very good for the Lucian branch leader's son _not_ to enter. Don't you think?"

"I g-g-guess so. . . " I mumbled.

"It's g-great y-you want t-to enter the ch-challenge, Ian. B-but, if y-you're g-gonna' be one of th-the agents I h-have t-to f-face, I d-don't w-want t-to kn-know wh-who _else_ I m-might h-have t-to ch-challenge," I said.

"Hmm. I suppose you're right. I mean, I don't doubt your abilities, love, but there _are_ some very dangerous agents. And just to make you feel better, I wouldn't be so keen on challenging a top Tomas agent. Even if they are teenage. Tomas agents are clever, and will pulverize anyone in their way," Ian said.

"T-true. S-some are n-nice, l-like H-Hamilton. B-but, I'd b-be af-fraid if I w-was ch-challenging h-him," I said.

"Wait, I've just gotten an idea! Perhaps, instead of there being a challenge between all branches, each branch leader could organize a challenge for each, seperate branch," Ian said.

"Th-that's a g-great id-dea, I-Ian!" I said, happy, but still managing to stutter.

"Hmm, yes. But it'll only be a good solution, if the branch leaders agree on it," Ian said.

"O-oh y-yeah. M-maybe you could t-talk to y-your f-father about it. S-surely, he'd b-be able t-to talk to the o-other b-branch leaders ab-bout it," I suggested.

"I. . . . suppose I could. . . . Hmm. . . I don't know for sure if he'll agree to it, but I'll talk to him about it," Ian said cautiously.

"Th-thanks, I-I-Ian," I said.

"You're welcome, love. Thank _you_ for talking to me. I didn't think I'd get a chance to speak with you until we met eachother in the challenge. You'd probably just be angered by my being present, then," Ian chuckled.

"P-probably," I said.

"Well, I'm off to call my father. I'll speak with you again soon, love," Ian said.

"B-bye," I said.

"Goodbye, love," Ian said concludingly.

"- and then he thanked me for talking to him, and hung up to call his dad," I said, finishing my explanation to Dan, Nellie, and Uncle Fiske.

"Hmm. Well, I agree that each branch should have a seperate challenge. It would be more fair that way," Fiske said.

"Totally. I mean, those Tomas kids would tear you apart before you were half-way finished with the challenge!" Nellie added.

"Not with my ninja skills!" Dan said, demonstrating a karate kick, knocking his glass cup of root beer onto the floor, shattering.

"Dan!" Nellie yelled.

"What have I told you about you and your 'ninja skills' in the house?"

Dan sat back down in his chair, and muttered, "Sorry, Nellie. . . "

Nellie immediatly got the broom, a dustpan, and the mop, and began cleaning up the mess.

"Dan, I see that your 'ninja skills' may be impressive, but this challenge is for teenage agents only. I apoligize," Uncle Fiske said.

Dan looked heartbroken, "What? No fair! I wanna' get special training too!"

"Don't fret, Dan. The rest of the branch leaders and I shall be focusing on training for younger agents after we get the teenage agents training organized," Uncle Fiske said.

"Yes!" Dan said, pumping his fist in the air.

"So, Amy, if there are challenges held for each branch, will you be entering them?" Nellie asked.

"I-I dunno' . . . . . There are still some pretty tough agents in the Madrigal branch," I said.

"Aw, come on, Ames! Ya' have to! It'd be so awesome if you won!" Dan said.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Meeting with Cobra. . . . . **_

The next few days were pretty boring. I got home after school on Friday, and was ready for a relaxing weekend. So, naturally, I didn't get one.

"Ames, Fiske says you should meet up with Ian. Ian called him, and talked to him for a while. Fiske says you need to make alliances. Have fun," Nellie said, making dinner.

I silently walked up to my room, and flopped, face-down, on my bed. I waited a couple hours, and then called Ian. I listened to it ring, and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello, love," Ian said, unusually perky.

"H-Hi, I-I-Ian," I said.

"So, I suppose you're calling to find out when we can meet somewhere," Ian said knowingly.

"Y-yeah," I said lamely.

"Well, how about that little coffee shop? The one down the street from your school?" Ian asked.

"S-sure. Wh-when?" I asked.

"How about 12 o' clock? Does that work for you?" Ian asked, polite as usual.

"Ok-kay. S-see y-y-you then," I said.

"Alright. Goodbye," Ian said, and hung up.

Later on that evening, I was reading, and my phone said, "Message recieved. Ian Kabra."

I picked it up, and the message read: 'Love, this is quite embarassing, but what am I supposed to wear? Usually, I wouldn't ask, but I don't want to attract too much attention.'

I laughed a little, and decided to reply saying: 'Jeans. T-shirt. Sneakers. Good luck.'

He replied a few moments later: 'Thanks.'

The next morning, I took my time eating the wierd looking muffins Nellie made. Once I finished, I put on my best pair of jeans, a white long-sleeve shirt, and a light blue t-shirt over it. I pulled my hair over my right shoulder, and braided it. I slipped into a pair of socks, and pulled on my sneakers. I grabbed my cell phone and my wallet, and walked down stairs.

"Ooh, don't you look nice?" Nellie teased.

I shrugged, and downed a cup of water, and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Hey, where's Amy going?" Dan asked.

"She's going to meet up with Ian," Nellie said.

"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Dan whined.

"Why? Do you wanna' go?" Nellie asked.

_'Please say no. Please say no. Please. Say. No!'_ I thought.

"No way!" Dan said.

I exhaled in relief.

"I wanted to spy on them! Like, put a video camera on Amy's hair clip! Or her bike. Or I could just follow her, and then spy on them from a hidden spot nearby!" Dan said.

I rolled my eyes, and rinsed my mouth out.

"Dan, no. You can't go," Nellie said.

"Why not?" Dan whimpered.

I went into the kitchen, got more water, and began to drink it.

"Because, your sister isn't gonna' want you to follow her and her potential boyfriend around," Nellie scolded.

Okay, so, you know how, in cartoons, people do spit-takes when someone says something wierd? Well, that's what I did. I covered my mouth, and wiped the water off my face. Meanwhile, Dan laughed at my reaction.

"Oh wow! That was cool! Did you see that, Nells? She did a spit-take! A real life spit-take!" Dan said.

"Yes, very amusing," Nellie said sarcastically.

"I-Ian's n-n-not my p-pot-t-tential b-b-boyfr-friend!" I protested.

"That's what they all say," Nellie said, smiling mischieviously.

I chained my bike to the bike rack in front of the coffee shop. I looked inside the coffee shop's glass windows. Ian was sitting at a small table with an empty seat across from him. He was focused on his Blackberry, while a group of girls were talking with a waitress and staring at him. I walked into the slightly crowded building, and over to where Ian sat. Ian must've heard my footsteps, because he looked up about the time I was half-way to him. He stood, and smiled.

"Amy! My, oh my, it's been a while since we've last seen each other, hmm?" he said.

"Y-yes, it h-has b-b-been a wh-while," I said, trying to sound friendly.

It looked like iIan was tempted to hug me, but instead, he pulled my chair out for me and gestured for me to sit down. So, I did.

"Th-thanks," I said.

"It's my pleasure," Ian said, standing over me for a moment, before going to the counter, and coming back with two cups of hot chocolate.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the group of girls looking angry and parting ways. I suddenly felt really awkward.

"Is there something wrong, love?" Ian asked, sounding concerned, as he sat down.

"N-no," I muttered.

"Love?" Ian said.

For the first time since I had gotten there, I actually looked at Ian. He was wearing jeans, really nice sneakers, and a long sleeve black t-shirt. He had combed his hair, but it didn't look like he put gel in it. It looked pretty normal for once. His amber eyes were glinting with curiousity.

"I-I'm f-fine," I said.

"Do I look alright? Natalie went out and got a whole bunch of outfits like this one," Ian asked.

"Y-you l-l-look f-fine. H-how is N-Natalie?" I asked, the memory of Natalie's insane mother in the Gauntlet, wielding her gun, had been burned into my mind.

Ian could tell that's what I was thinking about, and I was pretty sure that's what was on his mind as well, "Yes. She's fine."

"I-is her f-foot ok-kay?" I asked.

Ian smiled appreciatively, "Yes. She'd appreciate your concern. As I do. Thank you. You know, she wanted to come along with me today, to see you."

"Wh-why d-d-didn't she?" I asked.

"I wouldn't let her come. I told her that if our meeting went smoothly, that I'd make sure she got to see you soon," Ian said.

"O-oh," I said.

"So, how did your Uncle Fiske get you to agree to meet with me?" Ian asked.

"I d-didn't have a ch-choice," I said.

"Oh," Ian said, "so you didn't want to come?"

"N-No, I d-did! I-I was j-just s-s-saying . . ." I said quickly.

"Hmm. I think you're lying," Ian said, smiling.

"Wh-why w-would I?" I asked.

"Because you're too kind. You wanted to spare my feelings, which, by the way, it wouldn't have hurt them. I know that there were a lot of- that I shouldn't have- that my family-"

Ian stopped, and held up a finger, telling me to wait a moment.

"What I am trying to say is, I am sorry. For anything and everything wrong I've ever done to you or your family," Ian finally said.

I was quiet for a long time. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't going to say it's okay and that he's forgiven, but I didn't want to not forgive him, and him be upset.

"It's-" I began.

"Don't say anything yet. If you're willing to forgive me, I want to earn it. I don't want you to give it to me on a silver platter. I don't deserve that. But don't worry, I'm determined to get it," Ian said smiling.

"O-ok-kay," I said, looking at my feet.

I felt my face get really warm, and I guessed that I was blushing. A thousand thoughts ran through my head, and I heard Ian typing away on his phone.

"Wh-what are y-you d-d-doing?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Talking with my father. He's wondering if you're," Ian looked around. "If you're going to enter the challenge," he whispered.

"Oh. I d-don't kn-know yet. I h-haven't r-r-really t-talked to m-my family ab-bout it y-yet," I said.

"Alright. Well, just let me know when you've made your decision," Ian said, completely emotionless.

"S-so. . . . . " I said.

"I've got to go," Ian said abruptly.

"Oh. Ok-kay," I said.

Ian stood, bid me goodbye, and left. I stood up, threw away my empty cup, and walked outside to my bike. I un-chained it, and rode home quickly, feeling the need to get home A.S.A.P. Once I got home, I put my bike in the garage, and went inside.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Nellie asked.

"F-fine," I said.

I went up to my room, and spent most of the day reading, thinking about why Ian left so abruptly, and listening to Nellie yell at Dan for having his videogame volume up too high.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: Evan's a WHAT?**_

_**Amy's POV: **_

I was surfing the web the next day, and got a call from Evan. "H-hello?" I said.

"Hey, Amy! I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me, to the mall, I've gotta' get my mom a new webcam. Hers gave out a couple of weeks ago, and her birthday's comin' up soon," he said.

"Um, l-let m-m-me-"

I heard the house phone ring, and Dan yelled, "Amy! Ian's on the phone!"

"Ian Kabra?" Evan asked.

"D-do you kn-know I-I-Ian?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, I know him. I thought you said you didn't like him!" Evan said harshly.

"I-I d-d-don't!" I said.

"So how come he's calling you? How do you even know him?" Evan asked.

"I-I c-c-could ask y-you the s-s-same thing," I countered shyly.

After that, Evan hung up on me.

_**Ian's POV:**_

I sat on a bench by a large fountain, in the mall. Natalie had dragged me here for some odd reason, and I decided I'd come just to get out of the house. I noticed a boy sitting on the other side of the fountain, glaring at me, for some peculiar reason. He has brown hair, and was typing away on an old laptop. He had a new webcam next to him, and kept glancing up at me. I looked closely at the computer, and noticed an Ekaterina crest on it! I went online with my phone, and requested a chat with 'BookwormAmy'. A few moments later, she accepted it.

I typed: 'Hello, love.'

She typed back: 'Hi.'

I quickly typed: 'I think I found an Ekaterina in the mall.'

She responded: 'What? Really? What's he look like?'

'Brown hair, very old laptop, a new webcam sitting next to him,' I typed.

'I think I know who he is.' Amy responded.

'You do? Who?' I asked.

'His name is Evan.' Amy said.

A moment later she said, 'I'm on my way.'

_**Amy's POV:**_

Nellie dropped me off, with a small camera in my necklace. I found Ian sitting by the fountain, just like he said, and sat down beside him.

"So, what is his last name?" Ian asked.

"T-Tolliver," I said.

"Oh yes, Tolliver. The Tolliver's are little known, but not to be underestimated. They are very clever," Ian said.

"I-I'm g-gonna' go s-say hi," I said, standing back up.

"What? Are you sure?" Ian asked.

"Y-yes," I said.

Ian stood up, "Then I'm coming with you."

Together, we walked over to where Evan sat. He looked up at me with a look of anger and disbelief.

"What do _you_ want?" Evan asked.

"I-I," I started.

"Excuse me, but that's _hardly_ how you're supposed to greet a lady," Ian interrupted.

"Stay out of this, Cobra," Evan spat.

"E-Evan I-I'm s-sorry I-"

"What are you doing with _him?_ Don't you know what he is?" Evan asked.

"Y-yes. A-and I kn-know what y-you are t-t-too," I said.

"I know. I could tell when Cobra Jr. started typing away on his phone, and then you showed up," Evan said.

"B-but I d-didn't know what y-you were unt-til earlier. Th-that's wh-why I d-didn't t-tell you ab-bout I-Ian," I said.

"Hmm. Well-"

"There is nothing more for you to accuse her of, so don't try it. She's explained herself, quite well, if I might add," Ian said.

"I don't need to take this. See you tomorrow, Ames," Evan said, gathering his stuff and leaving.

A few minutes later, Natalie skipped up to me.

"Amy!" she said.

"H-hi N-Natalie," I said.

Natalie set down her shopping bags, and hugged me, "I'm so glad to see you!"

"L-Likewise," I said as she released me.

"Well, come on! You can shop with me for a minute, right?"

"Natalie, I'm sure Amy would like to get home, and enjoy what she has left of her weekend, relaxing," Ian said.

"Oh. Alright," Natalie said.

"I'm going to walk with Amy out to the parking lot, I'll be right back," Ian said.

We walked out the door, "Th-thanks."

"Hmm? Oh, don't thank me, love. I've caused you much trouble, do not thank me," Ian said.

"It's ok-kay. Ev-van's r-really n-n-nice. I'm s-sure he w-won't b-be t-too mad," I said.

"We'll see. Nellie's been sitting here in the parking lot the whole time, you know," Ian said.

"How d-do y-y-you kn-know?" I asked.

Ian pointed at Nellie's car, that was speeding up to the curb.

"Oh," I said.

"Mm hm. Well, I'll talk to you again soon, I hope," Ian said.

"Ok-kay. B-Bye, I-Ian," I said.

"Goodbye, love," Ian said, walking back towards the mall.

"Hiya, kiddo!" Nellie rolled down the window.

"H-hi," I said, getting into the passenger seat.

Nellie rolled up my window, and pulled away from the curb, "You seem down. What happened?"

"E-Evan's and Ek-kat," I said, letting it really sink into my mind.

"Whoa. I hope that doesn't cause problems for you two," Nellie said.

**Auhtor's Note: Hi. Sorry it took a while for me to get this chapter out. I've had a bit of writer's block, and was slowly trying to write this. And because of all the dialogue, it turned out to have less words. I uploaded this, and had to delete it, and then re-upload it, after I came back to this author's note and apoligized for the small amount of words! Let me know what you think of the little twist I threw in. ~HawkAngel13. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: What another chapter? So soon? Oh yes, yes it is. So, I noticed that a lot of my readers are commenting that I made Amy stutter too much. I'll try to tone it down a little, but it won't be going away yet. The reason for this is that her stutter plays a big part in an upcoming event. So, please try to be patient, and I apoligize to anyone that it bothered. Enjoy.~HawkAngel13. **

**Chapter 6: Apoligies and understanding. **

_Nellie rolled up my window, and pulled away from the curb, "You seem down. What happened?" _

_"E-Evan's and Ek-kat," I said, letting it really sink into my mind. _

_"Whoa. I hope that doesn't cause problems for you two," Nellie said._

The next day, I rode my bike to school, and met Evan at the bike rack. I had gotten to school early, so I could pick up a book from the school's library. I chained my bike up, and turned to Evan.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I didn't mean to get so upset yesterday. That Cobra just gets under my skin, y'know?" Evan asked, his blue eyes glinting with guilt.

"It's alr-right, E-Evan. I should have t-told you I kn-knew him," I said, looking down at my shoes.

"No, you don't have to tell me everything. We all have our own secrets, huh?" Evan said sheepishly. I looked up at him, and he was rubbing the back of his head, blushing a bit. He smiled, as if he knew an inside joke.

"N-no k-k-kidding there," I grinned, thinking of the Cahills.

"So, are you and Ian like. . . . . together?" Evan asked awkwardly.

_"No!"_ I said quickly, feeling myself stiffen.

"Okay. . . . Just making sure," Evan mumbled.

We walked inside together, and Evan followed me into the library. I looked through the fiction section, and he looked at a few computer books. I caught sight of Fifi skimming through the animal section.

"Hey," I whispered from behind her, making her jump a little.

"Amy! You scared me! What are you doing here so early?" Fifi whispered angrily.

"J-just looking through the lib-brary," I giggled.

"Something going on here?" Evan asked, half-whispering, and half-chuckling.

Fifi's expression changed from anger, to excitement.

"Ooh la laaa! _Now _I see what's going on here," Fifi giggled, a little too loud. Miss. Scarlet gave us a quick glare and shushed us.

"Sorry," we all whispered, laughing quietly.

The next few days went on like that, just hanging out together. Thursday after school, I was texting Ian as I walked home.

Ian: So, any problems between you and Tolliver?

Me: No, not really. Evan, Fifi, and I have all been hanging out.

Ian: Oh. Well . . . .

Me: Well what?

Ian: Well, I just wanted to bring something to your attention.

Me: Yes?

Ian: You do notice that Evan will probably be participating in the challenge, don't you?

Me: Oh. I didn't think about that. But, it shouldn't matter, should it?

Ian: Love, if he makes it into the training, don't you think you might be a little . . . . distracting to you?

Ian: Love, please be realistic. Anyone that's seen you around him knows that you like him. A little more than just a friend, if I might add. You seem to focus on him completely when you're around him.

Me: Do not!

Ian: Yes.

Me: Whatever. . .

Ian: Love, I do not want to make you angry, honestly, I don't. But I wanted to make sure you knew this.

Me: Okay, so let's say I DO like him. What would you say?

Ian: . . . . . . . I am at a loss for words.

Me: Ian, I'm serious.

Ian: I would say. . . . Good for you, love.

Me: Oh. . . . Okay. . .

I didn't get a response after that. I walked in the front door, and met Nellie in the kitchen.

"Nellie? C-can I talk t-to you?" I asked.

"Sure, kiddo. What's up?" Nellie continued mixing dough for something.

"What. . . . What would you d-do if there were t-two boys and-"

"And one of them in untrustworthy, while the other is great, but they can't stand eachother, and you want to be friends with both?" Nellie finished.

"How-"

"I figured I'd get this question eventually. With hanging out with Evan at school and texting Ian after school every day," Nellie replied calmly.

"Oh. Yeah," I mumbled.

"Well, I would just hang out with them seperately," Nellie shrugged.

"Okay," I said, about to walk away.

"Hey, Fiske said that your challenge thingy is gonna' happen on Saturday. Training will begin on Monday after school," Nellie said emotionlessly.

"Fantastic," I grumbled, walking up to my room.

At school the next day, one of Fifi's friends, Jessie, came up to us at lunch.

"Hey Fi! Amy, Evan. Would you guys like to go to a movie with me? I'm bringing a whole bunch of people," she rambled on, stumbling over her words. I noticed she was looking at Evan, and blushing.

"What day?" Fifi asked.

"Saturday," she said.

"I'm busy," we all said at the same time.

I knew what Evan and I were doing, and I wasn't suprised that Fifi was busy. She had plenty to do on the weekend.

"Oh. That's okay. Bye," Jessie said, trying to sound cheery.

For the rest of lunch, we talked about random subjects. After school, Fifi had to get home quickly, to go somewhere with her grandma. Evan walked me home, and we discussed being Cahills.

"So, I guess you know about the training then, huh?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm d-doing tomorrow. You t-t-too?" I mumbled.

"Yup. But I'm confident that I'll be one of the agents going to the training," Evan grinned.

"G-good for y-you," I sighed.

"I know you can do it too, Amy. I have confidence in _you_ too," Evan said soothingly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I grumbled.

"Now, if only Ian doesn't make it into the training, everything will be great!" Evan laughed.

"He'll make it," I said, proud that I didn't stutter.

Evan looked down at me, serious, "You seem so sure of that. . . "

"Yes. I mean, it's Ian K-Kabra. N-no one but you doubts he'll m-make it," I answered bluntly.

"I never said I doubted he'll make it. I just _hope_ he doesn't," Evan growled.


End file.
